Postcard from Penn State

A week after the sex-abuse scandal broke at Penn State, Lauren Lancaster spent Saturday in and around Beaver Stadium, documenting the mood among tailgaters, fans, and protesters. “You’d see someone holding a sign for child-abuse awareness, and a minute later they’d be surrounded by a group of smiling, face-painted fans who wanted to pose for a picture with them, so they’d smile for the picture, too,” Lancaster said. “There seemed to be resounding support for Joe Paterno. When asked how he felt about the recent news, one fan said, ‘If your father made a mistake you’d forgive him, wouldn’t you?’ ”

In their first game without their longtime coach, Penn’s Nittany Lions lost to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Here’s a selection of photographs from Lancaster’s visit.